Terror of the Night
by emyy250
Summary: It's Talia's first Halloween in Manhattan. When Alex takes her trick or treating, something swoops down from the sky and steals her candy. Even if it takes her all night, she's going to get it back. By any means necessary... Takes place in the Talia Xanatos: The Other Timeline universe.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Trick or treat

"I am the terror that flaps in the night; I am the phone call that interrupts your meeting, I am DarkWi-ng Duck!" I shouted as the blue smoke cleared.

"You look cute, kiddo." Elisa smiled.

"I know, right?" Alex scooped me up.

"I'm not cute, I'm a superhero!" I frowned, turning to Alex. "Sidekicks aren't supposed to nuzzle their heroes."

"C'mon, Talia, smile for the camera. You too, Alex." Fox cooed. I smiled halfheartedly. "Pretty smile."

I smiled nice and then wiggled as he and Dad kissed my cheek. "Noo, stop it!"

"So, why are you Lanchpad McQuack?" David asked his son.

"I 'fit the aesthetic better.'" Alex shrugged. I played with the bit of hair sticking out of his cap. He smiled.

"Remember to stay close to Alex, Talon or Maggie. I don't want to hear that you ran off, Talia." David said.

"Do you have everything? Water, cell phones?" Fox asked.

"Yes." We showed her them.

"Good." She nodded.

"C'mon, we gotta meet up with the Labyrinth kids before all the good candy's gone." Alex took me to the elevator. It dinged and we got in.

"Talia?" Owen called. I looked at him. "Be careful and _have fun_."

The doors closed.

"He didn't say what I think he just said, did he?" I asked Alex.

"He did. You clearly haven't been causing enough trouble." He nibbled his bottom lip.

"I thought that was a good thing." I frowned.

"Not for tricksters." He looked at me. "Haven't you had any urge to do mischief?"

"I haven't really had time to plan anything good." I said.

"While we're trick or treating, you think up some pranks we can play when we get back home. And Tai, in Manhattan, we go to stores instead of houses. That's why we're going so early." He said.

The elevator dinged. We got some candy from the lobby and popped in and out of stores as we went to the subway. We got off at the nearest one to the Labyrinth. Talon, Maggie, Delilah and two other mutates were trying to keep the kids calm.

"Hey, we're here." Alex called.

"Hi." I waved. He nudged me. "Trick or treat?"

Maggie dropped a fun sized chocolate in our pillow cases. Deliah had some chewy caramel. The female panther gave us Skittles and the male lion threw in some hard candies. "This is our son, Theo, and our daughter, Claire." Maggie gestured.

"Hello." Claire smiled, curtsying. Theo bowed. Everyone else did too. I looked at Alex.

"The line between Fae and human get blurred around Halloween and such. It's better if everyone treads softly." He explained quietly.

"Ok, everyone. I know you're excited to go trick or treating, but I want to remind everyone of the rules. You are to stay in your groups and _not_ wander off. That means waiting until everyone gotten a piece of candy to go to the next store. And no jaywalking either. Stay close to the adults. Everyone should be back here by 11 at the latest." Talon announced.

Then we split into three groups. Deliah was part of our group. We got the older kids. Then we went to the nearest place, a grocery store.

"Trick or treat!" We chorused. I let the other kids go first. Then it was my turn.

"Here you go, young lady." He was about to give me a Dum dum when something swooped down and I was smacked across the face and knocked to the ground.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Boggart

"Talia, are you ok?!" Alex helped me up.

"My cheek stings." I sniffled.

"Lemme see." He turned me toward the light. He grimaced.

"Alex, what happened? We heard a commotion." Talon and Maggie came up to us. Maggie gave me my hat back.

"I don't know. Something zoomed by and hit Talia." He told them.

"A bird?" Talon asked.

"Nu huh. Not with this bruise." He showed them. They growled.

"Let me get some to help with the swelling." The man went back inside, bringing back some frozen peas and a chocolate bar. "Here, sweetie."

I realized my pillow case was gone. "Where's my candy? It was in blue pillow case."

Everyone looked for it.

"It's disappeared. Maybe the thing that hit you took it." Deliah suggested.

"Can you watch them? I'm gonna call my dad." Alex wrapped the peas in a spare.

"Do what you need to." Talon said.

He took a picture of my cheek and we moved off to the side. His phone rang as Puck appeared. He soothed the pain.

"Hey, Dad. You get the picture? I don't know. Something swooped down and hit her. I didn't get a good look." He looked at me. "Tai, you wanna go home?"

I thought and shook my head.

"She wants to stay. Yeah, I will. Ok, bye." He hung up.

"Let me see your memories." Puck told us. We looked him in the eye and he hummed unhappily. "I think it was a gargoyle. Maybe a kid. I'll have the clan keep any eye out. Tai, you start feeling dizzy, you're coming home."

"Ok." I rubbed my cheek.

Talia's POV End

Alex's POV

" _Alex, keep an eye on her. She's still reeling from what happened. But when she recovers, she's going to be angry."_ Puck told me as he fussed over Tai.

" _Yeah, I know."_ I said.

" _No, you don't. Talia might become a Boggart, a mean and unpredictable subspecies of goblin. Making the gargoyle apologize should calm her."_ He explained.

" _And give back her candy?"_ I asked.

" _FUCK!"_ He swore. I rubbed my ears. _"The smack to the face was bad enough, but also taking her candy…"_

" _I know I got upset when I was given cheap candy, but how bad is it?"_ I hugged her.

" _Boggarts have killed whole families for less. We hobs are easily slighted, but we're the most dangerous during Halloween. Our emotions are high and our inhibitions are low. That candy was supposed to pacify her."_ Puck gave her a new pillow case.

" _It won't matter if we replace it, does it?"_ I frowned.

" _No, that candy was hers and it's been taken."_ He sighed.

" _How will I know if she's turning into a Boggart?"_ I thought.

 _"I haven't ever seen a Halfling turn, but I know she'll get angrier and vengeful. Her ears, nails, and teeth might grow pointed. And she'll probably get really hairy. You have to keep her calm until I can find the gargoyle."_ He kissed her forehead.

 _"What if I can't?"_ I looked at her.

 _"Then she won't be Talia anymore. And she might never be again."_ He couldn't hide how upset that made him.

Alex's POV End


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Wrath incurred

Dad left and we went back to the group. Then we went to the bookstore next. The lady frowned when she saw me. "You poor dear. That nasty gargoyle took your candy too?"

"We, we don't know if it was a gargoyle…" Alex corrected.

"My nephew got smacked by one and it left a mark just like that on his chest." She went to go get something. It was baggie of every candy she had and mini coloring book. "I know it's not much, but I hope it makes your night better."

"Your kindness is not unnoticed." I told her.

I knew I looked pitiful with a bag of frozen peas on my cheek. Everyone on the block was trying to nice, I had gotten some good candy and toys, but I was still upset. Why would someone take a trick or treat bag that wasn't even a quarter full? Why would they steal candy? That was my candy-

"Hey, Tai, it's ok. The clan is looking for the candy thief. We'll get it back." Alex soothed.

"I know, but…" I frowned.

"You got hurt for no reason. But you'll miss out on all the candy if you go on a rampage." He pointed out.

"Ok." I threw away the soggy peas as we went into the subway.

Unfortunately, the thief moved fast. A bunch of parents had warned us to go home by the time we got off. Some people said it was a blue gargoyle and others said it was purple. But it was definitely male. He had stolen handfuls straight out of the bowls. The victims had their candy taken and some of them had bruises like me. I growled.

"I know you're upset, but it's gonna be ok. They'll get him, they'll get him." Alex stroked my hair until I calmed down.

We kept going until we got to the Quarrymen's headquarters. John Castaway waiting out front with a bowl of candy and anti-gargoyle pamphlets. Alex and Deliah tried to take us across the street before he noticed us.

"Aren't you going to the children get their treats?" He called out. "It's very brave you to be trick or treating when there's a candy thief loose." Deliah snarled.

"Your eyes are glowing." A boy in a robot costume told me.

I looked in a dark window and saw my eyes were glowing, but not their natural green. It was a dark green, tinted red from my blood. Alex picked me up and rubbed my back.

He paused, thinking. "He's going to cause a big fuss if we don't take it. Take the candy and the pamphlets out of your bags when we're out of sight and give them to me."

"This is not a good idea." Deliah mumbled. "You should have remembered that the Quarryman were on this street."

"We can't afford to get in an argument right now, De. Tai's already agitated." He tried to soothe me with his magic.

"Fine." She huffed.

We reluctantly went up to the door and the kids let him give them the candy, trying to buy us some time for me to calm down. I whimpered as Alex stepped up.

"Say trick or treat and then we'll be gone, ok?" He whispered.

"T-trick or treat…" I held out my bag.

"What happened to her cheek?" Castaway furrowed his eyebrows as he dropped a pack of Smarties in my bag.

"… She was the candy thief's first victim." He gritted out.

"My Quarrymen are out right now and they're going to capture that demon. Then we will return your candy." He tried to look me in the eye. I buried my face in Alex's jacket.

"She's tired. I think we'll be going home now." He turned and we made it to the end of the block when we heard a swoosh. And then crying.

"DEMON!" Castaway yelled.

I howled in anger then pain. My teeth and fingers grew sharp. My senses were heightened as my body grew a wiry coat of fur. My muscles rearranged themselves so I'd be stronger.

I barely recognized my own voice as I lost consciousness. " _ **Thief**_!"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Thief

Alex's POV

Talia turned into a Boggart faster than I could call Puck. She jumped out of my arms and shot a grappling hook into a building across the street. I started to run after her when Deliah grabbed my arm.

"I cannot take all these children back to the Labyrinth by myself." She told me.

" _On All Hallow's night, in a place we hadn't meant to roam. By lamplight, send Deliah and the children home!_ " I chanted and they traveled through the street lights. "Puck!"

"It happened, didn't it?" He asked.

"Yes, but it wasn't my fault. The gargoyle just swooped in as we were leaving. And Castaway pressured us into taking his cheap candy, but _that's_ not important right now! We gotta go stop Ta-"

"Don't name the Boggart! She is not Talia! My daughter is not a Boggart!" Puck shrieked.

"We have to go stop the Boggart before it becomes permanent ." I corrected.

"Yes, we stop the Boggart and save my baby. We can save my baby." He partially calmed down.

A Quarrymen helicopter flew overhead and we followed its trajectory several blocks away. Some Quarrymen surrounded the young gargoyle and Talia. The gargoyle was chained to the building. One of them tried to hit Talia, but she destroyed the electrified hammer with a head-butt. Then she screeched and pushed them off the building. I caught them and tied up.

"This monster will not stop us from getting our quarry!" A Quarrymen told the remaining one.

" _ **LEAVE US BE OR I WILL KILL ALL OF YOU!**_ " Talia snarled.

Puck motioned me to follow him and we knocked them out, putting them with the other one. We hid in the shadows. Talia lifted the gargoyle up.

" _ **You will pay for what you have done to me!"**_ She raised her claws and swiped. They left bloody marks, but they weren't as deep as they should have been. The wind shifted and we realized the truth.

"No, don't kill me! I'm sorry for whatever I did you! I'll make it up to you, I swear!" He pleaded.

Her magic calmed and she started revering back to Halfling form when she realized he hadn't actually apologized. She was about to throw him on the ground when we stepped out of the shadows. "Say you're sorry for smacking her in the face and give back her candy."

"I'm- I'm sorry for hitting you in the face. The candy's in my backpack. If you-" Talia dropped him and scurried to the backpack, dragging it to him.

She watched him with deadly focus as he looked through the stolen trick or treat bags. When he got to the last one, she lunged for it. He threw it at her and she caught it.

Then she took out her pillow case and added the old stuff with the new. Then she turned back into a Halfling… and then into a ghost. Anubis was beckoning her toward the light.

"No! Talia, you still have things to do here! Like playing pranks and- And eating your candy!" I told her.

She returned to her body. Anubis left. Clutching her bag to her chest, she yawned and fell asleep.

"What is she, what are you?" He tried to crawl away, but he didn't get very far.

"The better question is who are we going to sue for several accounts of battery and theft?" I pulled off his gargoyle head mask and revealed a scrawny 16 year old boy. Wow, that felt good.

"He asked for your name, _boy_." Puck growled.

"Joshua Zale… I didn't mean to hurt anyone! I was practicing gliding and I accidentally went into a dive. My tail must have smacked her then her bag got caught on my talons." His dark eyes watered pathetically.

"You could have injured a bunch of little kids tonight. And you stole a bunch of candy from store owners." I scowled.

"Ok, ok, I did it to scare the trick or treaters, but I _really_ didn't mean to hurt anyone, honest!" Joshua sniffled.

We hummed then looked at Talia. "We would deal with you ourselves, but we have to take her home." Puck was about to snap.

"Don't leave me up here! I'm bleeding." He begged.

"Very well." He rolled his eyes and chained him to a streetlamp. "I wiped their memory. They think they got caught by the clan."

"We can't leave Talia's pillow case empty. People know she lost it." I said.

"Well, luckily for us, it won't matter if we replace it now. She has her original candy." He snapped and stuffed all the bags back into the backpack, putting it near Joshua.

"Mom's not going to be happy about all that extra sugar." I frowned. "How come she became a ghost when she got her candy back?"

"The barriers are thinnest around Halloween. Talia herself is living in one such place. Alive and near death. When she became a Boggart, her only goal was to get an apology and her candy back." Puck explained.

I nodded. "Let's get her home."

"You don't need to tell me twice." He snapped.

Alex's POV End

 **Happy late Halloween**


End file.
